On paper, the Honor 8 is similar to its cousin, the Huawei P9. The 5.2-inch 1080p display and the 12MP dual camera system are shared between the Honor 8 and P9. The construction is a bit different, and the P9's Kirin 955 SoC is slightly faster.

The phone features a glass sandwich construction with 2.5D glass all around. Honor is saying that the glass on the back reflects light differently from anything else. The 12MP dual cameras include one regular sensor and one monochrome sensor, which Honor says produce better colors and improved low light images. In addition, the company is claiming a 0.4-second unlock time for the fingerprint sensor, which has several software functions.

The Honor 8 will debut with Huawei's Emotion UI 4.1 skin atop Android 6.0 Marshmallow. It includes all of the functionality that the P9 came with, such as "Knuckle Sense," a way to take screenshots, record video, and draw gestures with your knuckles. You can also use the fingerprint sensor to open an app of your choice, snap a photo, open and clear the notification panel, answer calls, and cancel alarms.

Honor is also including something called Honor's PROMISE, a free one-time screen or rear glass repair that stacks on top of the one-year warranty. It's worth noting that Honor's PROMISE only lasts three months and that you need to register at Honor's site to activate it.

The Honor 8 will come in Midnight Black, Sapphire Blue, and Pearl White. The price is set at $399.99 for the 32GB model and $449.99 for the 64GB model. You'll be able to buy the phone at Amazon, Best Buy (where the Sapphire Blue model will be exclusive for the first 60 days), B&H, Newegg, and Honor's official site. Pre-orders begin August 17th (which, depending on where you are, is today). You'll get a $50 gift card if you buy from Amazon, Best Buy, B&H, or Newegg. There's a bonus at Newegg in addition to the gift card. You also get a free clear case and JBL earbuds. If you buy from Honor directly, you get a $50 rebate. All these promos end September 3rd.

Press Release

Smartphone Maker Honor Introduces its First Flagship Model for the US Market

SAN FRANCISCO, California [August 16, 2016]: Honor, a global smartphone manufacturer, has introduced its latest model for the U.S. market. The Honor 8 Android™ smartphone combines industry-leading technology with a breakthrough design that truly stands out from the crowd. It’s the first flagship device that Honor brings to the U.S. market. Since its founding two years ago, Honor has experienced extraordinary growth by focusing on the online market and giving digital natives the types of devices that fit their lifestyle. Featuring high-quality construction, inspired design and next-generation technology, Honor smartphones are enjoyed by mobile enthusiasts around the globe. With Honor 8, the brand sets a new standard for what U.S. consumers can expect in an unlocked device. “Honor 8 perfectly represents the evolution of our overall product view,” said George Zhao, president of Honor. “It goes against established industry norms and market conventions with a higher aesthetic standard. At the same time, it balances looks with the smarts, speed, and connectivity that today’s millennial consumers demand. Honor 8 reflects our understanding of and commitment to their needs and goals.”

Amazing Picture Quality

An powerful 12MP dual-lens camera is like eyes focused on the world around you. With one RGB and one monochrome sensor, the Honor 8 captures more light to deliver amazing picture quality, vivid color, and stunning details in daylight or nighttime. The benefit of the RGB sensors is vivid, crisper color, while the monochrome sensor reproduces sharper pictures in more detail. Its hybrid auto-focus captures every moment by taking advantage of laser, contrast, and depth focus to deliver greater speed and accuracy. Exciting new photography modes as well as manual operation capability make the Honor 8 perfect for aspiring photographers. Plus, selfie fans will enjoy its 8MP wide-angle front-facing camera that works well even in low-light.

Sleek, Elegant Appearance

The Honor 8 features a double-sided glass design that results in a sleek, elegant appearance. Beneath it, a 15- layer process is applied with precise craftsmanship to create a unique light-reflecting aurora effect. Compact and artfully curved, the Honor 8 smartphone combines perfect dimensions with a stylish finish for a balanced, comfortable-to-hold mobile device.

Convenient, Smart Fingerprint Access…Instantly

Honor’s dual-purpose fingerprint scanner technology provides instant, secure access to your device. The 3D fingerprint scanner can unlock some of the phone’s most popular functions such as taking pictures, answering calls, or turning off an alarm. Press the smart key on the back of the phone to access more customizable features, for example: Click to capture a screenshot, double-click for the flashlight, or long press to launch your favorite applications—you can even personalize them yourself. Building on Honor’s commitment to security, fingerprint data is encrypted and stored only on the device.

Power to Last and Then Some More

Honor 8 is built to keep up with demands for fast, powerful, and always connected devices. Powered by a GHz octa-core CPU with a 3000 mAh battery and Huawei’s proprietary power saving technologies, users can be confident there will always be power to accommodate their busy life. And if the battery gets low, industry-leading fast-charge technology will recharge the batteries by up to 50% in about 30 minutes.

Peace of Mind – Honor’s PROMISE

Honor is focused on the needs of digital natives, and that includes its customer service. Honor is committed to the quality of every product it manufacturers and each device goes through a rigorous internal testing process before reaching consumers. Purchasers of the new Honor 8 may register the device on HiHonor.com/us/ to qualify for a one-time repair of any accidental screen or back-cover glass damage during the three-month coverage period. This coverage is in addition to the existing 12-month limited warranty that comes with all Honor smartphones.

In the United States, the Honor 8 Android smartphone will be available in Sapphire Blue, Pearl White, and Midnight Black. MSRPs begin at $399.99 for the 32GB model and $449.99 for the 64GB model. Pre-ordering will begin August 17 through September 3 at the following retailers: Amazon, Best Buy, B&H Photo Video, and Newegg as well as on HiHonor.com/us/. For the first 60 days, Best Buy will offer the Sapphire Blue edition exclusively. Customers pre-ordering Honor 8 will also receive a $50 gift card from participating retailers.

Comments

It's actually Huawei Honor 8. Don't know why the company name isn't included at all in this. Just like the Huawei P9 this borrows from, and the bigger Huawei 'Note' 8 they announced earlier this month for the Asia market.

Between this and the Axon 7, the Honor 8 looks overpriced. I do like the minimalist design though. Beautiful phone.

Robin

What about the Axon 7 do you like much better than on this?

C Lo

When I purchase a device, I try to get the most based on what I spend. For me, having an SD820 processor, more internal storage, front-face speakers, higher resolution screen (although 1080P looks great too so this isn't a deal breaker), and the 2 year protection/warranty/replacement plan offered by ZTE adds more value for the same $400 compared to the Honor device mentioned in this article.

Julio Valdez

I just bought my last phone because ithe was pretty lmao

Matthew Merrick

Also the fact the screen is AMOLED is huge, and the skin is way less obtrusive. And it doesn't have a horrible glass back.

Doakie

AMOLED? Does that mean Pentile matrix and 1080p?

Matthew Merrick

Axon 7 is QHD AMOLED. And at PPI like this penile is unnoticeable without a magnifying glass.

Doakie

I thought the Honor 8 was AMOLED. I just noticed that its an IPS LCD.

TeutonJon78

No, they made an error. The official US spec page lists it as AMOLED.

Sirus Valencia

This is confusing, GSMarena and Android Authority says it is 1080p AMOLED.

Other sites claim that it's IPS LCD.

Which is it?!

FeelThePoveR

Also the fact that probably that dual-camera is pure bullshit (it was on P9) takes away a little bit of this phone value.

I think monochrome cam does a little bit of work, but can't justify the price IMHO.

balcobomber25

There is nothing bullshit about it, people just don't understand how and when it works.

FeelThePoveR

There was and there is bullshit. They lied about photos it makes (they took a promotional photo with a DSLR camera and claimed it was taken by P9 camera) and it is not even a Leica lens it is only signed by it. Judging camera by the footage I attached it only works when you disable main color camera and that's pretty useless if you ask me.

balcobomber25

They did lie about thr DSLR but that has little to do with the P9's camera being bullshit, it had to do with dishonest marketing. The footage you attached isn't the best measure of the P9s camera. It's a video by someone trying way to hard to prove the S7 is the best. There are legitimate tests that were done on the camera by professional photographers and camera dedicated sites. It's not the best camera on a phone but it's far from bullshit.

FeelThePoveR

Did you see any of his other videos? He's not trying to prove S7 camera is best (he does polls on every comparison). But that's beside the point I only point out that dual-camera doesn't make such a difference (again video attached - the bit where he doesn't compare different phone cameras but dual and single P9 lenses) and you know what? I don't see any difference between them and if additional lens doesn't improve regular photo/video quality then why bother?
I don't say that this camera is shitty (it's quite good actually). I say that dual-camera is pretty pointless and probably just another marketing gimmick.

balcobomber25

Except it's Not a gimmick it serves an actual purpose. The guy in your video had little clue what that purpose was.

james fuston

For what it's worth, the SD820 isn't really better than a Kirin 950. They trade wins in several benchmarks and the Kirin is overall more power efficient.

C Lo

From a graphics standpoint, I will take the 820 over the Kirin 950 any day! Also, I have seen the benchmarks and it is not as close as you say it is. Antutu, GFXBench, PCMark; they all show the 820 performing better than the Kirin 950. Oh and...developer support.

james fuston

Please go ahead and link "the benchmarks" you're talking about. And no, a quick google search shows that the SD820 does not perform better than the K950 in the majority of the test benches you just mentioned.

balcobomber25

It's the same price as the Axon 7 and you're getting largely the same specs....

jonathan3579

The phone is definitely a looker but I was hoping this would kick off their new EMUI 5.0 but instead it's launching with that iOS knockoff skin. 😐 Also, their promise warranty thing is absolutely retarded.

Lirodon

Admittedly, that blue one looks awesome and I'd definitely buy it on looks alone if they brought it to Canada.

But no quad HD? I'll stick to my G4...

AbbyZFresh

it's as if the iphone 6s and galaxy s7 had an offspring.

Max Johnson

Wait till you see the new Nexus.

TigerMike901

For $400, I'd buy the 6P instead, no question. At $300 this would be more compelling in that price bracket.

Doakie

:-/ Now that Huawei doesn't warranty their aluminum chassis bend anymore I couldn't see this being a good time to buy a 6P. Not to mention that the 810 is getting long in the tooth...

After having owned a Nexus 6P for 8 months then moving on, I'm very happy with my Axon 7. The only other phone in this $400ish price category I'd consider is the OnePlus 3.

someone755

Lucky you, at least you get some phones to consider.
Where I'm at, the 5X is pretty much the best deal for $400. The 6P is still going for $500+

Coming someone who have the Honor 5X. EMUI is the main thing that hold these phones back, even with Android 6. Wait till it gets Cyanogen support, this is just my opinion.

Doakie

Seriously, a bloated skinned ui is the opposite of what these phones need. I tagged a Google+ post to Taylor Wimberly about this same issue on the Honor 5X, if that phone launched at $199 with bone stock Android they would have sold BOAT LOADS of them.

Railwayman

You will have to wait for a long time, I'm afraid. Hisilicon Kirin is a CPU family with serious limitations in the documentation area and it always stop me from getting a Huawei even if their devices are excellent in most aspects. The idea of an 'EMUI only' device doesn't attract me since the issues of getting stable ROMs are very similar to the Exynos family.

If Huawei changes this, Kirin would become interesting.

Godspoken

Cool to see another Huawei phone here, but a tough sell at the same price as a 6P.

I bought the Honor 5X for $200 for months ago. If I had known it had no WIFI calling (deal breaker) I would have made a different choice. Honor 8 doesn't mention WIFI calling either.

Railwayman

Don't see why WiFi Calling, which essentially require a carrier branded device, is that important when Google Voice solve the things perfectly: a phone number that works on WiFi or mobile data. I have been using it for a couple of years now and it works great.

If the reception is so weak that the ability to receive 'number calls' via WiFi become very important - GV is the way to go, then.

Taavia

I have GV but every time I have tried to make a call with my Honor 5X is says, no network available.

Railwayman

Sounds strange. Is it the data connection failing or WiFi? GV has always been flawless on my devices, both cellular data or WiFi. Try to check your data settings (APN) etc. Do you have a 'full' GV number or the 'access number' for the voice mail?

I use GV via Hangouts/Hangouts Dialer.

Just_Some_Nobody

GV has always been flawless for me too.

C64

Emui is a no go for me

saf1927

That logo on the front is a no go. Why do manufacturers keep slapping a brand on your face beyond me...

Patrick Smithopolis

Yeah. I want to preorder it but I can't get pass that logo on the front. I hate when phone manufacturers slap their logo on the front.

Darth Vader

Richard is on fire today XD

TechGuy22

Nexus 2016 wished it looked this good.
The price should be lowered considering it's s a 1080p screen.

Dominick White

They should have sold the 32 gb, for $349, the 64 gb for & 399 and the 128 gb for $449 to better compete with opo 3 and Axon 7

Bryan Pizzuti

This is turning into a pretty competitive price point. I wonder how long it'll take before Apple is forced to place a product here. Or is the iPhone SE their entry?

Just_Some_Nobody

Forced? Why? Apple does what Apple does and they do it well. They have a crap ton of cash, so they don't have to make any changes any time soon. Heck, they could lose ALL of their iPhone sales and still make more money than a large number of tech companies.

Bryan Pizzuti

Because I guarantee you that ceeding this $400 price point to the competition will be very damaging to Apple in a general sense, especially as people decide not to pay $700+ for phones, now that they know what full price is and all.

Just_Some_Nobody

Ceding it? They don't even want to compete there. It is the same reason they never got into the $300 netbook market. They introduced the 11.6" macbook air for nearly 4 TIMES that and look how popular it was/is? Apple doesn't care about the middle or bottom. Period.

Bryan Pizzuti

"Ceding it? They don't even want to compete there."

Then what's the iPhone SE doing in their lineup? Granted they could have a better $400 entry, but they're at least testing the waters.

Just_Some_Nobody

Because there's a segment of their consumers who were not upgrading only because of the screen size.

Bryan Pizzuti

And yet they're not charging $600-$800 for it like they are their other phones. They're charging $400. If it was just about the screen size they'd just milk the higher price point. They're not. They're worried about "flagship killer" phones like the Axon 7 and OnePlus 3 eating into Samsung's market share. And their market share also.

Just_Some_Nobody

No, their not worried about Axon 7 or OnePlus 3. The market for the SE is NOT the same market as those two phones. The market for the SE does NOT want a larger phone. The middle tier Android market is all about 5 inch + phones. The market for the SE would NEVER buy them.